We're back from our NYC trip - I have lots of pictures that hopefully I'll get around to posting this week. I twittered some while we were there. My highlights, djedistyle:

I've been to NYC before (in high school), but I forgot how weird and neat and kinda creepy it is to be surrounded by tall buildings in all directions.

Empire State Building: surprisingly sketchy. We wanted to go to the top, so we waited in a line that stretched outside. There were people asking everyone "Do you have your ticket yet?" (they even had shirts that said that), and it turns out they were selling some sort of virtual tour of NY that I think still included a ride to the top of the building, but was more expensive. Then they were telling people it was a two hour wait if you waited in the "real" line, which was blatantly not true (maybe 30 minutes). We were handed a couple of different flyers while waiting in line, where we discovered you could pay more and go to the observatory 20 floors above the usual place. Or you could pay more and cut to the front of the line! We chose to pay more by buying a CityPass which included tickets to museums we were planning to see. More on that later.

The Statue of Liberty was impressive and worth the ferry trip out there, even though we didn't get to climb up it (you have to get tickets beforehand). I am definitely allergic to something in popsicles that street vendors sell, as the red bumps have appeared again. (previous incident) When we were getting off the ferry back at Battery Park it was very choppy and kept shifting and stuff, which made me think of the fall of the Eastland. Which didn't happen.

Spamalot was a good show. We had listened to the soundtrack (of course Hank Azaria, David Hyde Pierce, Tim Curry weren't in it anymore), but there were a good number of visual gags that added to it. The audience was really in to it which (as with most comedies) made it seem funnier. And a few cast members seemed to break character a little and laugh.

Getting a bus tour was a great move. We got two days of hop on hop off privileges which was great for seeing stuff we didn't want to spend the time to walk to, as well as seeing kinda what it's like to drive in New York (crazy crazy crazy...although not as crazy as the people who bike there. How they don't get run over every week I'll never know) I got a lot of hopefully good pictures that way, and we used it to get from place to place most of the time. Taking the downtown tour on Friday and not Saturday was a big win, as it was much less busy which meant we got to sit on top almost all the time.

Metropolitan Museum of Art was confusing. We bought the CityPass which included admission there, but it normally costs a $20 suggested donation. Does this not seem kinda sleazy? I'm guessing that since we used our "ticket" then the museum gets some money for it, or something, but it's weird. Also, the museum is very large and lots of exhibits were closed for renovation, which sucks. We got a little lost in European Paintings. Then we were going to have afternoon tea, but not for $24/person. Yikes. This was the only other time we used the CityPass, so I wouldn't recommend it unless you know you're definitely going to enough places to save money.

A friend of djedi's showed us around Greenwich Village, which was a lot of fun. We went to this piano bar and hung out there for a while talking and occasionally singing. I tried to request a song but the pianist didn't know it or something. ("Santa Fe" and later "I'll Cover You" from Rent...how can you not know those in a gayish piano bar in New York?) Apparently a lot of Broadway people hang out there after shows, as the people singing had generally incredible voices. And the head puppeteer from "Avenue Q" (I was told) showed up! It made me miss choir days and long to be in musical theater. (which I'm sure I wouldn't really like long term)

We also went to a huuuuge gay club, which was dark and really loud. (my ears are still recovering) They were showing a Madonna concert video downstairs, although the sound was Madonna singing different songs. I got a little drunk (only had one drink there but the bartender put a lot of rum in my rum and coke), and the loud music and flashing lights and stuff became a bit more mesmerizing.

The subway was fun, although dirty and loud. Pretty quick except for getting to Penn Station on the way home where we had to wait for like 15 minutes.

It was fun, and I'm glad we went when it's only a short train trip away!